Franco Navarro (born 10 November 1961 in Lima) is a former football striker and manager from Peru. As a player, he was a participant at the 1982 FIFA World Cup. He was also member of the Peru national football team for the qualification stages of the World Cup for Mexico 1986 and Italy 1990. He was arguably the best forward in Peru in the mid to late 1980s.
He is also famous because five minutes into the deciding game between Argentina and Peru for qualification into the 1986 FIFA World Cup in Mexico, an Argentinian defender (allegedly under orders from Carlos Bilardo the Argentinian coach) almost broke Navarro’s leg, taking him out of the game. In addition, the Argentinian player was not expelled from the game. After that Argentina with Diego Maradona tied the game 2-2 and qualified to the World Cup. That same team would then win the World Cup in Mexico.
Navarro played for Deportivo Municipal, Sporting Cristal, Alianza Lima, Independiente from Argentina and Grasshoppers from Switzerland among others. He retired in 1995. He has been a coach for several Peruvian teams, including Sporting Cristal and Alianza Lima, as well as the Peruvian national team. He is currently the assistant coach of Club Toluca.
